Dream On Productions
Since 2003, we have been bringing fantastic native English speaking Storytellers to visit schools throughout 8 countries in Latin America.

The incredible story of how Diane got started in her career as a storyteller:
The seed for this career was planted in 1980, after Diane and her husband Tom adopted their second child. Four-year-old Joey was a boy who had been raised in a series of foster homes in front of a TV set. Diane soon realized that the nightly reading of stories that was eagerly anticipated by her daughter Cicely was absolutely of no interest to Joey. Committed to breaking him away from the TV and increasing his readiness for school, Diane started to story tell in the style for which she is so well known today:"I became the characters; I used lots of pauses and my voice, sound effects - whatever I could do to get him to listen. He started sitting and listening; it was like loud TV! I began doing it more and he stopped more and listened."

It worked! Joey started to enjoy stories, and Diane started on her path to become a professional storyteller. Now she is one of the US's best-loved storytellers. Diane has received numerous honors including the California Arts Council’s highest ranking. She has made numerous recordings of her stories and her latest CD has been nominated for a 2008 Grammy.

Diane usually starts with singing &/or clapping games. She may tell 4-5 stories during a session. She combines sign language, funny noises, expressive facial movements, music and song when she tells her stories. She tells her stories in an interactive & animated way, choosing material according to age range, maturity level and level of English. Diane connects in a special way with the audience and is able to touch the warmest places in each of us.

With a repertoire of hundreds of stories and songs, she tells folk-tales, fables, legends, historical, contemporary, and personal stories for all ages. Here are just a few examples:

5-7 years
40 minutes

Aesop Fables The fables of Aesop have served for ages as honored examples of wisdom and morals.
Nursery Rhyme Songs (audience participation) The melodies of nursery rhyme songs are simple and easily remembered.
Molly Mouse, who might be small but who acts like she's tall. When the lion, the king of the jungle, gets caught in a net, none of the other animals in the jungle can help him. Molly is able to chew a hole in the net so the lion can get free.
Whenever they feel small, Ferlatte says, the children should remember Molly.

and many more!

Primary
50 minutes

Brer Rabbit Stories Many people know about Bugs Bunny, but before Bugs there was Brer Rabbit. Slaves in the American South told a lot of stories about this little rabbit, who even though so small, was usually able to outsmart the bigger & stronger animals by using his head.
Sleeping Ugly, a Jane Yolen story, humorously contrasts two young women: a beautiful woman who is ugly on the inside and a homely woman who is beautiful on the inside. They are brought together by a disgruntled fairy who sees to it that a deserving lady gets her prince.

and plenty more!

Teens
1 hour

Donkey & the Lion Skin (value-self acceptance)
Two Friends (African Story, value-two sides to a story)
Personal Stories (dealing with racial & cultural barriers)
Slave stories of the American South Diane tells a story about a former slave who was loaned land once freed, but in return had to share the crop with the owner of the land. When the owner announced that he wanted whatever was grown on top, the crop was potatoes; the next year he said whatever was grown on the bottom, so the man planted wheat. It concluded with them sharing the crops equally.

etc etc etc!